All Blacks 2025
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@george33 said in All Blacks 2025:
@kidcalder and I would put Taufa Funaki, in the mix, his return has seen a different dimension in the Blues.
plays for the wrong club. No chance.
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Wings:
Tangitau - injured
Naholo - injured/leavingJordan - currently injured, should be available?
Telea - leaving
Reece - has been
This leaves:
Clarke
Narawa
IoaneAJ Lam is available.
Are Love or Stevenson possibilities? Leroy Carter?
Injuries to other players might prove fortunate for Telea and Reece.
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Surely with JRK back from injury, he can leapfrog Fihaki in any of these discussions. His style would suit 14 for the ABs in my opinion
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@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:
@george33 said in All Blacks 2025:
@kidcalder and I would put Taufa Funaki, in the mix, his return has seen a different dimension in the Blues.
plays for the wrong club. No chance.
Unfortunately correct, the HBs will be locked in as:
Roigard - incumbent and will start
Ratima - bench and pushing Roigard hard for a start
Hotham - Crusaders Project Player -
@No-Quarter let's wait and see, he's in the conversation.
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@No-Quarter Roigard, is he locked in?,
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@kidcalder said in All Blacks 2025:
Christie, Preston and Hastie looking good so I don't see 9 as the weakness I thought it would be after Smith departed.
In what world is Christie looking good?
He's been rightfully passed by Funaki now that Funaki is fit finally.
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@george33 said in All Blacks 2025:
@No-Quarter Roigard, is he locked in?,
Yes. Razor is a gigantic Roigard fan. Assuming he's fit Roigard is one of the safest bets there is in the whole squad
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2025:
@kidcalder said in All Blacks 2025:
Christie, Preston and Hastie looking good so I don't see 9 as the weakness I thought it would be after Smith departed.
In what world is Christie looking good?
He's been rightfully passed by Funaki now that Funaki is fit finally.
In Fozzieworld he's still good. Still shake my head that Roigard could have been RWC23s Nehe Milne Skudder (new kid who tears it up) and he went for the ginger instead
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@No-Quarter said in All Blacks 2025:
@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:
@george33 said in All Blacks 2025:
@kidcalder and I would put Taufa Funaki, in the mix, his return has seen a different dimension in the Blues.
plays for the wrong club. No chance.
Unfortunately correct, the HBs will be locked in as:
Roigard - incumbent and will start
Ratima - bench and pushing Roigard hard for a start
Hotham - Crusaders Project PlayerHalfback is a comparatively strong position right now. Whilst none of them are Nuggy, and some aren't in career best form, they're all (except Christie) playing well.
Funaki as mentioned previously has transformed the Blues into looking like a finals contender again.
I like Hotham's play - he's got a good pass on him and everything else he does is above average in execution.
Even Fakatava is playing with more maturity and taking better options, in a team without a plethora of talent in the backline. Probably the best sniper in NZ.
Roigard is playing like a shadow of his former self pre-injury. Hopefully he'll get better with more minutes under his belt. The better players play themselves into form as the season progresses anyway.
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@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@No-Quarter said in All Blacks 2025:
@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:
@george33 said in All Blacks 2025:
@kidcalder and I would put Taufa Funaki, in the mix, his return has seen a different dimension in the Blues.
plays for the wrong club. No chance.
Unfortunately correct, the HBs will be locked in as:
Roigard - incumbent and will start
Ratima - bench and pushing Roigard hard for a start
Hotham - Crusaders Project PlayerHalfback is a comparatively strong position right now. Whilst none of them are Nuggy, and some aren't in career best form, they're all (except Christie) playing well.
Funaki as mentioned previously has transformed the Blues into looking like a finals contender again.
I like Hotham's play - he's got a good pass on him and everything else he does is above average in execution.
Even Fakatava is playing with more maturity and taking better options, in a team without a plethora of talent in the backline. Probably the best sniper in NZ.
Roigard is playing like a shadow of his former self pre-injury. Hopefully he'll get better with more minutes under his belt. The better players play themselves into form as the season progresses anyway.
Roigard isn’t playing like last year but he’s still playing well. He was pivotal in that win against the Brumbies and was good in the win against the Chiefs. Here’s hoping he gets a spring in his step after the bye / this week against the Landers.
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@Canes4life said in All Blacks 2025:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2025:
@No-Quarter said in All Blacks 2025:
@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:
@george33 said in All Blacks 2025:
@kidcalder and I would put Taufa Funaki, in the mix, his return has seen a different dimension in the Blues.
plays for the wrong club. No chance.
Unfortunately correct, the HBs will be locked in as:
Roigard - incumbent and will start
Ratima - bench and pushing Roigard hard for a start
Hotham - Crusaders Project PlayerHalfback is a comparatively strong position right now. Whilst none of them are Nuggy, and some aren't in career best form, they're all (except Christie) playing well.
Funaki as mentioned previously has transformed the Blues into looking like a finals contender again.
I like Hotham's play - he's got a good pass on him and everything else he does is above average in execution.
Even Fakatava is playing with more maturity and taking better options, in a team without a plethora of talent in the backline. Probably the best sniper in NZ.
Roigard is playing like a shadow of his former self pre-injury. Hopefully he'll get better with more minutes under his belt. The better players play themselves into form as the season progresses anyway.
Roigard isn’t playing like last year but he’s still playing well. He was pivotal in that win against the Brumbies and was good in the win against the Chiefs. Here’s hoping he gets a spring in his step after the bye / this week against the Landers.
He doesn't need to peak now. Cam seems to be building slowly
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@nzzp said in All Blacks 2025:
@george33 said in All Blacks 2025:
@kidcalder and I would put Taufa Funaki, in the mix, his return has seen a different dimension in the Blues.
plays for the wrong club. No chance.
… of Marshall picking him.
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@kidcalder said in All Blacks 2025:
I don't see 9 as the weakness I thought it would be after Smith departed.
Yeah. Things looking much better.
I'd have Ratima as first pick right now. Roigard seems to be on a bit of a dip right now. And go for Hotham or Funaki over Christie.
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2025:
In what world is Christie looking good?
The world when every other 9 was either injured or playing like shit.
That world existed for a few months a couple of years ago and has, thankfully, vanished,
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Did the breakdown really mention Christie? lol
I have not really watched it at all, I think I watched the first or second episode when they talked about all the super teams but the Canes, and it just bothered me. And the program is just a joke anyway. They all try to hard and its super cringe to me.
I'd still have cam at 9, he is playing as good as anyone, and we know his ceiling is super high if he can get back to last years form.
Ratima looks just as good though. Hotham is not far behind.I think we should be stronger in 25 than 24
